BREEZY POINT — Area child care providers, preschool teacher and parents are invited to attend a free Getting Ready for School training to be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Breezy Point City Hall.

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The Make and Take training will focus on easy to make, homemade learning activities that promote literacy skills. Each participant will go to all of the activity stations. Participants will leave with a resource kit of ideas for teaching letter recognition, sound awareness, phonics, print awareness, speaking and literacy skills. Fun, practical, homemade instructional projects will be offered.

The training will include ideas on social-emotional skills development, too. Books, story telling, dramatic play and puppets can be fun ways to share social skills instruction.

Getting Ready for School – Make and Take training is a project that is funded in part by the Initiative Foundation, a regional foundation. The training is sponsored by the Pequot Lakes, Breezy Point, Crosslake Early Childhood Coalition.

■ Learn Digital Photography basics in Staples

STAPLES — The Staples Public Library is offering an Introduction to Digital Photography class for teens and adults to be held from 10-11:30 a.m. Jan. 24. This is a beginner’s class.

Topics included in the class are: Things to know when purchasing a camera; camera settings, what they mean and when to use them; composition; and do and don’t tips.

If you have a digital camera, bring it along together with the camera manual. Time will be provided at the end of the class for questions. Participants will have the opportunity to suggest future class topics. The attendance limit is eight and preregistration is required.

For more information, contact the Staples Public Library at 218-894-1401.

■ Pequot Lakes students

nominated for Triple A Award

Pequot Lakes High School seniors Kim Jessen and Michael Ryan have been selected to represent Pequot Lakes in the Academics, Arts, and Athletics Award program, activities director Marc Helmrichs announced Jan. 10.

Established in 1988, the Triple A Award is sponsored by the Minnesota State High School League. The award goes to high school seniors who have a B or better grade-point average and who participate in MSHSL-sponsored athletic and fine arts activities.

Each school may nominate one male and one female. Those students then compete against other schools at the subsection, section and state levels.

Jessen and Ryan are active members in the school community.

Jessen carries a 3.3 GPA while participating in band, tennis and hockey. Kim plans to attend St. Could State University next fall. She is the daughter of Dennis and Dana Jessen of Pequot Lakes.

Ryan participates in band, cross country, basketball and track and field while carrying a 3.7 GPA. He has qualified for the state cross country meet the last three years. He plans to attend the University of St. Thomas and major in mechanical engineering. His parents are Tom and Theresa Ryan of Pequot Lakes.

Triple A Award recipients are selected by a multi-level process involving MSHSL member schools and administrative regions. League officials will announce the four award state recipients (a girl and boy from a Class A and Class AA school) during the state boys basketball tournament.

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